Lorenzo Chavez mixes oil paints as he prepares to paint in his studio space at The Schoolhouse at Mainstreet on Oct. 11 in Parker. The town of Parker is nearly finished the Parker Schoolhouse at Mainstreet complex redevelopment. At the center of the redevelopment is a school built in 1915 that has been re-purposed for years as an art studio and cultural facility in Parker.

Seth McConnell, YourHub

Early morning light highlights a rainbow of colors in Lorenzo Chavez's studio at The Schoolhouse at Mainstreet on Oct. 11 in Parker. The town of Parker is nearly finished the Parker Schoolhouse at Mainstreet complex redevelopment. At the center of the redevelopment is a school built in 1915 that has been re-purposed for years as an art studio and cultural facility in Parker.

Seth McConnell, YourHub

Lorenzo Chavez shows one field study books at The Schoolhouse at Mainstreet on Oct. 11 in Parker.The town of Parker is nearly finished the Parker Schoolhouse at Mainstreet complex redevelopment. At the center of the redevelopment is a school built in 1915 that has been re-purposed for years as an art studio and cultural facility in Parker.

Seth McConnell, YourHub

Lorenzo Chavez paints in his studio at The Schoolhouse at Mainstreet on Oct. 11 in Parker.The town of Parker is nearly finished the Parker Schoolhouse at Mainstreet complex redevelopment. At the center of the redevelopment is a school built in 1915 that has been re-purposed for years as an art studio and cultural facility in Parker.

Seth McConnell, YourHub

Renovated room at The Schoolhouse at Mainstreet on Oct. 11 in Parker. The town of Parker is nearly finished the Parker Schoolhouse at Mainstreet complex redevelopment. At the center of the redevelopment is a school built in 1915 that has been re-purposed for years as an art studio and cultural facility in Parker.

Artist Lorenzo Chavez has become used to the sounds of drilling, jack hammering and the occasional dismantling of walls around his fine art studio, which occupies a renovated classroom in the historic Schoolhouse at Mainstreet in downtown Parker. He accepted the cacophony when he accepted his role as the town’s first featured artist in its artist-in-residence program.

Ongoing renovations to the Schoolhouse on Mainstreet and the attached theater complex at 19650 Mainstreet have been a challenge for the pilot program and other cultural activities. Because the building is closed to the public during construction, people interested in seeing Chavez work or browsing through the gallery can’t just drop in.

“I haven’t had too many visitors while all of the work is going on,” said Chavez, who has lived in Parker for 12 years. “But I believe that will change once the schoolhouse opens back up again.”

The roughly $3.5 million-project to restore the 100-year-old former schoolhouse and an attached theater building began in 2015 and is slated to wrap up in February. All the while, Chavez has worked on his oil and pastel paintings in The Schoolhouse Studio, hosted demonstrations and kept somewhat irregular gallery hours.

“He has been so patient,” said Denise Zoglmann, director of operations for Parker Arts. “We went through a period when there was no heat in here and there he was, huddled in a fleece, painting with space heaters everywhere. There was no air during the summer, either. And of course, the noise is probably difficult.”

Chavez, a nationally-renowned plein air landscape artist, said the intermittent noise from the renovations creates a surprisingly serene work environment.

“I don’t mind at all,” he said. “I’ve painted off the side of the road with semi-trucks whizzing by. I don’t even notice it here until I stop painting.”

The Schoolhouse at Mainstreet opened in 1915 as the Parker Schoolhouse. It served for decades as a school and a church until the town bought it in 1995 to house a variety of cultural and recreational activities, including dance and theater classes.

“We needed the space,” Zoglmann said. “It was truly the only cultural center for the town from 1996 until 2011, when we built the PACE Center.”

Zoglmann said town leaders hoped to move some programs away from the old schoolhouse when the Parker Arts, Culture & Events Center opened at 20000 Pikes Peak Ave., but the PACE Center almost immediately was operating at near capacity.

“We have so many dance classes, the PACE Center dance studio was full almost right away,” Zoglmann said. “So, we started programming (at the schoolhouse) to alleviate the PACE Center.”

Construction at the former schoolhouse includes creating a dance studio in the main building and renovating the theater in the annex building, an old church that was moved and attached to the schoolhouse in the 1990s.

To avoid putting classes on hiatus or turning away students, the town continued to hold dance classes and meetings in the schoolhouse during the first year of restoration work. Construction crews worked around the space until they couldn’t do so without encroaching.

“We maintained operation of the building in the beginning for as long as possible because they still really needed the space,” said Paul Matosky, site supervisor for restoration specialists, Wattle and Daub Contractors. “We had people in and out of here all the time for dance classes up until January or February of this year.”

The upper level of the schoolhouse will be transformed into an event space with hardwood floors and large windows. It will be available to rent for meetings, parties and, perhaps, wedding receptions, Zoglmann said. The lower level will house the Schoolhouse Artist Studio and a dance studio.

“The town of Parker also has the little white chapel next door (Ruth Memorial Chapel), which seats about 80 people,” Zoglmann said. “So, we’re hoping to get weddings that go on there, and then everyone can come right here (old schoolhouse) afterward.”

Money for the renovation work is coming from the State Historical Fund and matching grants provided by the town of Parker.

The annex includes a 200-seat theater where classes and local groups perform. Renovations there will add a concessions stand, a box office, more bathrooms and dressing rooms, and a basement-level rehearsal studio.

“A lot of local theater programs unable to rent space at the PACE Center will be able to rent space there,” Zoglmann said. “We’ll also hold events here like ‘Comedy and Cocktails.'”

And Chavez, too, has big plans for the reopening of the schoolhouse.

“I’m looking forward to hosting some workshops and maybe even doing a live portrait drawing class after everything opens back up again,” he said. “I’m excited to expose this project to more people and bring them downtown.”

Chavez typically works at The Schoolhouse Studio from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, but potential visitors should call 720-202-0757 to schedule a visit through February, while construction continues.

The artist-in-residence program is intended to attract more artist studios, galleries and maker spaces to Parker’s downtown. When Chavez leaves the program — perhaps to open his own gallery downtown — a new artist will be selected to move into the Schoolhouse Studio. And that studio will be housed in a fully renovated cultural arts building.